Pokémon Ruby Version[a] and Pokémon Sapphire Version[b] are 2002 role-playing

video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon

Company and Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. They are the first installments in
the third generation of the Pokémon video game series, also known as the "advanced
generation". After years of Nintendo being the sole publisher of the franchise in all
regions, The Pokémon Company co-published the games for the first time since the
establishment of the joint-owned company in 1998. They were first released in Japan
in late 2002, and internationally in 2003. Pokémon Emerald, a third version, was
released two years later in each region. Remakes of the two games, titled Pokémon
Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, were released for the Nintendo 3DS worldwide in
November 2014, exactly twelve years to the date of the
original Ruby and Sapphire release date, with the exception of Europe, where it
released a week later.

The gameplay is mostly unchanged from the previous games; the player controls the
main character from an overhead perspective, and the controls are largely the same
as those of previous games. As with previous games, the main objectives are to catch
all of the Pokémon in the games and defeat the Elite Four and the Pokémon League
Champion; also like their predecessors, the games' main subplot involves the player
character defeating a criminal organization that attempts to take over the region.
New features, such as double battles, Pokémon abilities, Pokémon Contests, and 135
new Pokémon were added.[1][2][3] Owing to the increased capabilities of the Game
Boy Advance, four players may be connected to each other at a time instead of the
previous limit of two. Additionally, the games can be connected to an e-Reader or
other third-generation Pokémon games.
Ruby and Sapphire received mostly positive reviews. Praise was given to the new
features and Pokémon designs, though critics were divided in their assessment of
the games, especially on the gameplay and graphics. Most of the complaints focused
on gameplay not changing much in relation to previous generations. With over 16.22
million copies sold, they were a commercial success and became the best-selling
game for the Game Boy Advance; The games sold less than previous generations
with Red and Blue having sold nearly 31 million units worldwide,
and Gold and Silver selling over 23.10 million units.

Gameplay
[edit]

See also: Gameplay of Pokémon

The basic mechanics of Ruby and Sapphire are largely the same as their predecessors.
As with all Pokémon games for handheld consoles, the gameplay is in third-person,
overhead perspective and consists of three basic screens: a field map, in which the
player navigates the main character; a battle screen; and the menu, in which the
player configures their party, items, or gameplay settings. Players begin the game
with one Pokémon and can capture more using Poké Balls. They can also use their
Pokémon to battle other Pokémon. When the player encounters a wild Pokémon or is
challenged by a trainer to a battle, the screen switches to a turn-based battle screen
where the Pokémon fight.[4] During a battle, the player may use a move, use an item,
switch their active Pokémon, or flee, although fleeing is not an option in battles
against trainers. All Pokémon have hit points (HP); when a Pokémon's HP is reduced
to zero, it faints and cannot battle until it is revived. If the player's Pokémon defeats
the opposing Pokémon (causes it to faint), it receives experience points. After
accumulating enough experience points, it will level up; most Pokémon evolve into a
new species of Pokémon when they reach a certain level.[5]
Apart from battling, capturing Pokémon is the most essential element
of Pokémon gameplay. During a battle with a wild Pokémon, the player may use a
Poké Ball on them. If successful, the Pokémon will be added to the player's active
party, or stored if the player already has the maximum six Pokémon in their party.
[6] Factors in the success rate of capture include the HP, status effects such as
Paralysis or Sleep, and the strength of the Poké Ball used: the lower the target's HP
and the stronger the Poké Ball, the higher the success rate of capture is.[7] Other
trainers' Pokémon cannot be captured.

New features

[edit]

See also: List of generation III Pokémon

The most prominent change in the battle mechanics is the introduction of double
battles, in which the opposing parties each use two Pokémon at the same time.
Consequently, certain Pokémon moves can affect multiple combatants at once.
[8] Multi battles were added alongside double battles. They are identical to double
battles, but there are two trainers to a side, each controlling one of the two Pokémon
sent out. Also new to the games are innate abilities and natures; the former is shared
by every Pokémon of a certain species, while the latter may vary among a particular
species. Abilities grant their holders certain powers in battle, such as immunity
against certain types of moves or strengthening a certain type of move. Natures, like
innate abilities, affect the strength of Pokémon in battle; however, they affect the
stats of the Pokémon rather than directly affecting the strength of the moves.
[9] Another stat introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire is Condition, an important
factor in Pokémon Contests, mini-games in which participants perform moves before
a judge. Both Pokémon and their moves have a Condition, which is increased by
using Pokéblocks, which are candies made from berries.[10] Secret bases were added
as a one-off feature where players could open up a hole in the world and customize
the area with various items picked up in-game. Players who linked up with others
who set up secret bases were able to battle an NPC version of that trainer within their
secret base.
Like Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire keep track of real-
life time; this influences events like tides and berry plant growth. However, unlike
their predecessors, Ruby and Sapphire do not differentiate between day and night.
Also, due to the differences in the technical specifications of Game Boy link cables
and Game Boy Advance link cables, Ruby and Sapphire cannot be linked with
Pokémon games of previous generations; one cannot battle with or trade with the
previous generations.[11]

Connectivity to other devices

[edit]

e-Reader to go and catch either Latios or Latias, depending on

the game.

Ruby and Sapphire have limited e-Reader support. Nintendo released Battle-e Cards, a
set of e-Reader cards that contained trainer battles in which the player could see
previously hidden Pokémon.[12] A special e-Reader card called the Eon Ticket was also
released; obtained through the Mystery Gift function, the Ticket allows the player to
reach a place called Southern Island. There, the player faces either Latios or Latias,
depending on which version of the game is used.[13]
Ruby and Sapphire are also able to connect to the GameCube games Pokémon
Colosseum, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness and Pokémon Box: Ruby and Sapphire. In the
former two, once players reach a certain point in the game, they are able to transfer
Pokémon between Colosseum / XD and Ruby / Sapphire.[14] Additionally, those who
pre-ordered Colosseum were able to access the Pokémon Jirachi and see a preview of
the movie Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker. Pokémon Box allows players to store and
organize their Pokémon on the GameCube.[15] Also, in the European version
of Pokémon Channel, players could receive a Jirachi at a certain point in the game,
which they could then transfer over to Ruby or Sapphire.

Plot
[edit]
Setting

[edit]

Pokémon
Ruby and Sapphire occur in the
Hoenn region, some distance
from the Kanto and Johto
regions featured in previous
games. The design of Hoenn
was based on the Japanese
Ruby and Sapphire are set in the island and region of Kyushu;
Hoenn region, designed to be
however, Hoenn is rotated 90°
similar to Japan's island of Kyushu
if rotated 90°. (pictured below). relative to Kyushu, as Junichi
Masuda felt that it would
provide a better gameplay
Kyushu island, Japan
balance.[16] Like Kyushu,
Hoenn possesses many smaller islands, and part of the region is dominated by sea
routes, several of which contain areas where the player can dive underwater.

Story

[edit]

See also: List of Pokémon characters and List of Pokémon

Like other Pokémon games, Ruby and Sapphire's gameplay is linear; the main events
occur in a fixed order.[17] The protagonist of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire are Brendan
and May, who have recently moved to a small town called Littleroot Town. At the
beginning of the games, the player chooses either Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip to
protect Professor Birch, the regional professor, from attacking Poochyena. After
defending Birch, the player is taken to his lab and receives the chosen Pokémon as
their starter Pokémon. After that, the player encounters May/Brendan, the child of
Professor Birch. The player's rival, who appears as the professor's child, is also
a Pokémon Trainer and occasionally battles the player.[18] The games' two main goals
are defeating the eight Gym Leaders, proving oneself worthy of challenging the Elite
Four and Hoenn League Champion to become the new Hoenn League Champion and
completing the Pokédex by capturing, evolving, and trading to obtain all 202
Pokémon available between Ruby and Sapphire. It is possible to obtain all 386
Pokémon, but this requires trading with Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen or Pokémon
XD: Gale of Darkness and Pokémon Colosseum.[19]
In addition to the main quest of defeating the Gym Leaders, there are side quests in
which the player can aid NPCs by fulfilling tasks, usually by obtaining items. The most
prominent subplot involves Team Aqua and Team Magma, crime syndicates who
want to use Pokémon to alter the climate of Hoenn: in Ruby, the villains, Team
Magma, want to use the legendary Pokémon Groudon to dry up the oceans of Hoenn
and increase the region's landmass; in Sapphire, Team Aqua are the villains and they
try to use Groudon's counterpart, Kyogre, to flood the landmasses of Hoenn and
increase the region's ocean.[20] Prior to facing the eighth Gym Leader, the player has
a showdown with Magma or Aqua where the team's leader uses a mystical orb that
awakens the slumbering Pokémon, believing it has the power to enthrall their
respective target, only for the Pokémon to become enraged and cause catastrophic,
region-wide climate changes—a drought in Ruby, and heavy rainfall in Sapphire—until
it is defeated or captured by the protagonist.[21] The player's father also introduces
them to Wally, a sickly young boy whom the player helps capture a Pokémon to be his
companion as he moves away from the big city. Wally eventually overcomes his
illness and becomes a successful Pokémon Trainer, ultimately becoming the final
challenger the player must face before the Elite Four.

Development
[edit]

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were developed by Game Freak and Nintendo under the
direction of Junichi Masuda. As with its predecessors, Ken Sugimori was the art
director, although these were the first games in which he did not single-handedly
produce all of the art.[22] When asked where his design team came up with the ideas
for all of the new Pokémon, Sugimori stated that they got their ideas from past
experiences in their childhood involving nature, animals, and the media and then
base them on insects. Even looking at the world in a different perspective sometimes
provided inspiration for the creatures. "First we select an insect and after that we add
essential elements to the insects to make it more like Pokemon, such as adding some
hard shape to it, to be more like steel," Sugimori said, describing the process of
creating a Pokémon.[23]
As the Game Boy Advance was able to handle enhanced
graphics, Ruby and Sapphire were the first games in the series that allowed up to four
people to share information at one time, as opposed to the previous limit of two.
However, the development team used a more basic graphics engine to keep the
game simple and not overly confusing. The team wanted the games to appeal to a
large audience, so the game was designed to be easy enough for younger
generations of children to play, but new features were added to bring the veteran
gamers back.[23]
Masuda stated that the basic philosophy of all Pokémon games is communication; in
the Pokémon series, this is manifested in trading and battling with other people.
When asked about the new concept of double battles, the developers noted that they
tried to focus more on the original one-on-one battles as the main type of
competition and only added the double battles as a "new challenge". They stated that
if they receive positive feedback about the double battles, the feature may appear
more in future generations.[23]
The games were the first in the series that did not contain all of the Pokémon from
previous generations. Sugimori stated that the team tried to include all the new
Pokémon as well as some from previous generations. When asked about any features
that could not be included due to technical restrictions, Masuda noted that he
wanted each individual Pokémon to make up to three different cries depending on its
mood.[23]

Audio

[edit]

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire soundtrack

Studio album by
Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose and Morikazu Aoki
Released April 26, 2003
Genre Video game music, soundtrack, audio
Label Media Factory
Producer Unknown
The audio of Ruby and Sapphire consists entirely of game music and sound effects; all
dialogue is on-screen. The music, composed by Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose and
Morikazu Aoki, is completely instrumental except for two tracks with vocals, "Trick
Master" and "Slateport City". The soundtrack of the game was released under the
Mediafactory label in Japan on April 26, 2003; the album reached #297 on
the Oricon charts and charted for one week.[24] Junichi Masuda wrote only battle
tunes, Go Ichinose wrote most of the town, route, fanfare & 'Spotted' tunes, whereas
Morikazu Aoki did the remainder.
The soundtrack is noted for its heavy use of trumpets,[25] but it also makes heavy use
of French horns, strings ensembles, and even pianos.
showDISC 1
showDISC 2
showBONUS TRACKS
Release
[edit]

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were released in Japan on November 21, 2002,[26] in
North America on March 19, 2003,[27] in Australia on April 3, 2003,[28][26] and in
Europe on July 25, 2003.[26] Nintendo did not promote Ruby and Sapphire at E3 2002;
[29][30] however, it launched a US$ $7 million promotional campaign that lasted from
March to May 2003.[31] In July and August 2002 they were promoted through a tour
across Japan at Pokémon Festa 2002.[32] In addition to rewarding pre-orders of the
games with merchandise, Nintendo held a contest in which participants submitted
videos of themselves singing the Pokémon theme song with their own re-written
lyrics; the grand prize for that event was a Lugia PT Cruiser.[33][34] Later that year,
Nintendo launched the EON Ticket Summer Tour, in which 125 Toys "R" Us stores
across the United States offered the Eon Ticket e-Card in stores from July 19 to
September 1.[13][35] Nintendo aired two television advertisements, "Faces" and
"Names", on prime-time network, cable, and syndication. "Faces" featured Pokémon
juxtaposed with human look-alikes; "Names" featured people shouting out the
names of Pokémon and emphasized the fact that the games introduced 100 new
Pokémon.[31] Additionally, Nintendo collaborated with United Kingdom beverage
brand Vimto to promote the games.[36]

Pokémon Emerald

[edit]

Main article: Pokémon Emerald

Pokémon Emerald Version[c] is a third version after Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire,
developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for
the Game Boy Advance. It was first released in Japan in 2004, and was later released
internationally in 2005.[37] Emerald received generally positive reception[38] and by
fiscal year 2007 sales had reached 6.32 million units.[39]

Reception
[edit]

Critical response

[edit]

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings 84% (55 reviews)[40][41]
Metacritic 82% (33 reviews)[42][43]
Review scores
Publication Score
1Up.com B−[44]
Computer and Video Games 9/10[45]
Eurogamer 7/10[46]
Famitsu 34/40[47]
 GameSpot 8.1/10 (Ruby)[48]
GameZone 9.5/10 (Ruby)[49]
IGN 9.5/10 (Ruby)[50]
The games met with mostly positive reviews. IGN gave them an "Amazing" 9.5 out of
10 rating and awarded them the Editor's Choice Award; in 2007, the games were
collectively named the tenth best Game Boy Advance game of all time in
an IGN article.[51] GameZone also gave the games a 9.5 out of 10 rating and awarded
them an Outstanding Award.[49] GamePro gave the games 5 out of 5 stars and named
them Editor's Choices.[52] ComputerAndVideoGames.com gave the games a 9 out of 10,
and GameSpot gave the games 8.1 out of 10,[45] naming it the best Game Boy
Advance game of March 2003.[53] Eurogamer and 1UP.com were less enthusiastic
about the games, however; Eurogamer gave the games 7 out of 10, and 1UP.com gave
them a B−.[44][46]
Reviewers were divided in their critiques of the games, especially concerning the
gameplay and graphics. IGN praised the "deep design" and noted that the addition of
features such as double battles greatly increased the strategic aspect of the
games. GamePro also thought that the addition of double battles "add[ed] challenge"
and "made the harder battles far more strategic than before—the way the game
should be".[52] Likewise, ComputerAndVideoGames.com called the gameplay "incredibly
compelling and addictive".[45] GameZone noted that the gameplay was more refined
and challenging than that of previous titles.[49] However, GameSpot called the games
"a cakewalk from start to finish" and claimed that Ruby and Sapphire "don't offer
much of a challenge".[48] Eurogamer also felt that the mechanics "[get] very tired, very
fast".[46] 1UP.com also felt that the games were formulaic and that double battles
were underused.[44]
ComputerAndVideoGames.com was enthusiastic over the graphics, calling them
"gorgeous".[45] Other reviewers were less enthusiastic, however. GamePro felt that the
graphics were only "a fair bit prettier" than those of the Game Boy Color games;
[52] GameZone said that the games "still [use] the simple animations and basic
character designs that were created for the original, color-less Game Boy".
[49] IGN and 1UP.com noted that the graphics had received only a minor upgrade,[44]
[54] and Eurogamer felt that the graphics had been upgraded to a "functional level at
best".[46] The audio was generally well-received: GameZone and GameSpot both felt
the audio was catchy; GameZone gave the audio an 8 out of 10 score, saying that
while the music "was annoying at times, [...] it's also very good. [...] I found myself
humming the music when I wasn't playing". Other complaints included the removal
of the time system of Gold and Silver and the inability to import Pokémon from the
games of previous generations.[54]

Sales

[edit]
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were highly anticipated.[55][56] In Japan, they sold 1.25
million units within the first four days of release and were the best-selling games of
the 2002 holiday season;[57] sales totaled around 4.4 million within six weeks of
release.[58] They also became the first games to sell 2 million copies in Japan since
2001's Final Fantasy X and the first games for a handheld console to do so since
2000's Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4.[59][d]
In North America, Nintendo sold 2.2 million units by April 2003, less than one month
after the games' release in that region.[58] In the United
States, Ruby and Sapphire were the second- and third-best-selling games of 2003,
respectively.[60][61][62] The games enjoyed success in Europe as well.[63] Even before
release, European retailers imported cartridges from the United States to meet the
high demand.[64][65] Upon release, 500,000 copies were sold in its first weekend and
sold 1.5 million within eight weeks.[66][67] They were the second-best-selling games of
the holiday season in 2002.[68] The games were brought up at E3 2003 by Satoru
Iwata as a symbol of how successful the Game Boy Advance was at the time.[69]
With 16.22 million units sold worldwide as of 2023, they are the best-selling games
for the Game Boy Advance.[70][71] However, analysts noted that with "young
kids...gravitating toward Yu-Gi-Oh!" at the time, Pokémon's popularity was waning
even before the American release of Ruby and Sapphire.[72][73][74][75][76] This was
reflected in the games' sales compared to those of previous
generations: Red and Blue sold nearly 31 million units worldwide,
[77] and Gold and Silver sold over 23 million units.[78][79]

Awards

[edit]

Year Award Category Result

2003 Golden Joystick Awards Handheld Game of the Year Nominated
Interactive Achievement Awards Handheld Game of the Year Nominated
2004 Children's Game Nominated
British Academy Game Awards
Game Boy Advance Game Nominated
Legacy
[edit]

Remakes

[edit]

Main article: Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire

Pokémon Omega Ruby[e] and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire[f] are enhanced

remakes of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. The new titles were developed by Game
Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. They were released
worldwide for the Nintendo 3DS on November 21, 2014, exactly twelve years after
the original release date of Ruby and Sapphire, while the European release was the
following week.[80][81]

Related games

[edit]

Main articles: Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, Pokémon Colosseum, and Pokémon
XD: Gale of Darkness

Pokémon Box: Ruby and Sapphire

[edit]

show

• Pokémon Box: Ruby and

Sapphire
Pokémon Box: Ruby and Sapphire[g] or simply Pokémon Box[h], is a spin-
off Pokémon game for the GameCube, bundled with a GameCube – Game Boy
Advance link cable and a Memory Card 59.[82] It was released in Japan on May 30,
2003, and in North America on July 12, 2004,[83] but only through the New
York Pokémon Center and its online store,[82] and it is no longer available in either
location.[as of?] The game was released in some parts of Europe as Pokémon Memory
Magic due to translation problems[84] and Europeans could only get the game by
using points from Nintendo of Europe's loyalty program or by buying the Pokémon
Colosseum Mega Pack.[85]
The game is essentially a storage system for the Game Boy Advance Pokémon games
that allow players to trade and store Pokémon that they have caught
in Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed and LeafGreen onto a GameCube memory card.[86]
[87] Players can then organize and interact with their Pokémon on the GameCube,
such as allowing them to breed. Unique Pokémon can also be acquired. Another
feature allows Ruby and Sapphire to be played on the television via the GameCube –
Game Boy Advance link cable. Options such as taking screenshots of the game are
available in this mode.[88] Another addition is the "Showcase", where players can
create and display game pieces of Pokémon.[89]
Nintendo referred to the game as "the most exclusive Pokémon software ever
offered to North American Pokémon fans,"[90] but it was generally considered to be
unnecessary, receiving a score of 50% on GameRankings from 1 review.[91] Craig
Harris of IGN gave the game a "Meh" rating of 5.0 out of 10, praising the interface,
which makes the organization of Pokémon much easier as compared to the Game
Boy Advance interface, as well as the emulator which allows Ruby and Sapphire to be
played on the GameCube. He also stated that the game was a good deal due to the
inclusion of a memory card and link cable. However, Harris cited the "Showcase" as
"entirely unnecessary and completely out of place", and said that overall the game
lacked much to do. He wrote, "It's targeted specifically for the truly die-
 hard Pokemon fan, but it requires so many specific elements to actually be useful to
anyone."[89] Allgame gave the game three and a half out of five stars.[90]

Notes
[edit]

1. ^ Japanese: ポケットモンスター ルビー, Hepburn: Poketto Monsutā Rubī, lit. "Pocket Monsters:
Ruby"
2. ^ Japanese: ポケットモンスター サファイア, Hepburn: Poketto Monsutā Safaia, lit. "Pocket
Monsters: Sapphire"
3. ^ Japanese: ポケットモンスター エメラルド, Hepburn: Poketto Monsutā Emerarudo, lit. "Pocket
Monsters: Emerald"
4. ^ If the two games are counted as one
5. ^ Japanese: ポケットモンスター オメガルビー, Hepburn: Poketto Monsutā Omega Rubī, "Pocket
Monsters: Omega Ruby"
6. ^ Japanese: ポケットモンスター アルファサファイア, Hepburn: Poketto Monsutā Arufa Safaia,
"Pocket Monsters: Alpha Sapphire"
7. ^ Japanese: ポケモンボックス ルビー＆サファイア, Hepburn: Pokemon Bokkusu Rubī & Safaia
8. ^ Japanese: ポケモンボックス, Hepburn: Pokemon Bokkusu
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[edit]

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